Unique  Daughter of a Vampire Part Four
by Kelleigh Rae
Summary: Norrah is having trouble in all of her relationships. Lexi is mad, Damon is smitten, Katherine feels motherly and Rebekah tries to kill her. Nightmares plague her sleep and a mysterious message causes Norrah to shift her priorities and let her guard down.
1. Prologue

**Prologue.**

Slipping down into the smooth porcelain tub of delectably warm water topped with sinfully sweet smelling bubbles I let my thoughts slip away. I didn't want to be reminded of the last few days, weeks or months. I wanted nothing more than to enjoy the moment without the distractions of what my life had become. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing, in and out. I let my muscles go slack and slowly sank under the water wishing I could remain there forever. It was so quiet and peaceful; if only I could breathe I might never have to get out.

After a time the water started to cool down and the bubbles had all but disappeared. I stepped out of the tub, wrapped my robe around my body and grabbed a towel to dry my hair. As I walked out into the bedroom I heard voices downstairs but chose not to listen in on their conversation. I found a pair of comfortable lounge pants and an oversized t-shirt that seemed appropriate for the evening since I had no plans to leave the house anyway.

I worked the towel through my hair drying it as well as I could and then combing it out. I thought that maybe I would go downstairs for something to eat and then lay on one of the couches in front of the fire. I was determined to relax, still very tired from my run-in with Katherine the day before. For now I knew that I did not have to worry about her coming back to Mystic Falls which was a great relief.

I stepped out into the hallway remembering that there might be company downstairs. I was hoping to avoid any questions about what had happened in that strange house. I wasn't ready to talk about it. As I walked towards the staircase I heard something that made me stop dead in my tracks. There was laughter coming from the entranceway, but it wasn't an adult laughing. What I heard was the giggle of a small child, one that I would have recognized anywhere.

I flew down the stairs and down the long hallway leading to the front door. As I turned the corner I couldn't believe what I saw. A little girl with long dark pigtails tied up with ribbon and deep blue eyes full of life and love. She was dressed in a plain pink dress and held a small ragdoll in her hand as she laughed at Damon who held her on his hip. "Maddie! Oh my God, Maddie! Is that you?" I rushed over to her ready to tear her out of Damon's arms. "Maddie, it's your mother darling!" I exclaimed as I touched her cheek. She turned away from me and hid her face on Damon's shoulder.

"Give her to me Damon," I told him, "give me my little girl." He looked at me as though I were crazy but said nothing. "Damon, if you don't hand her over to me this instant so help me God you will pay with your life."

"What's going on here?" asked a voice from the door. I looked up and saw Elena, no wait it was Katherine, standing there with her hands on her hips. Maddie heard Katherine's voice and wiggled out of Damon's grasp. I knelt down with outstretched arms but she did not come to me. Instead she ran towards the door.

"Mommy!" She called out to Katherine. There had to be some mistake. What had they done to her? My precious girl would never have run to a stranger over me.

"Anelia my beautiful girl, I've missed you," Katherine said as she bent down to embrace her, lifted her up and nuzzled her cheek.

I stood astonished looking back and forth between Damon and Katherine. "Who are you and why are you touching my child?" she asked me, a mother's rage in her eyes. "Stay away from her."

"What? Katherine, I'm your daughter; it's me, Norrah," I tried to explain but to no avail.

"I don't know who you are or why a grown woman would ever claim to be my child, but if I ever see you near my little girl again I will tear you limb from limb."

I started to panic, reaching out for Damon's arm so he would back me up. "That is my Maddie!" I started to shout. "That is MY child. Put her down this instant!" The little girl started to cry. "Give her to me!" I screamed "Maddie, please don't cry my love, it's going to be okay, Mommy is here."

Damon suddenly found his voice. "Why do you keep calling her that?" He asked me.

"That's her name, Madison Ellanorrah but we always called her Maddie. Why else would I call her that?"

"Her name," he said matter-of-factly, "is Anelia Elisaveta Petrova-Salvatore, and whoever you are you had better get out of here before things get really messy."

"Damon, it's me, Norrah, your friend," I told him. Katherine walked into the house and right past me. It was all I could do not to reach out and grab Maddie away from her. The child looked up at me with those startling blue eyes. I started to cry. "Please," I begged them, "Please give me my baby back."

Suddenly I found myself on the front porch, Katherine, Damon and Maddie just inside the doorway. "Don't you ever come back here and threaten my husband or my daughter again," Katherine said to me through clenched teeth, Damon's arm protectively draped over her shoulder, Maddie on her hip clinging to her neck. Then I watched in horror as all three of their faces changed, fangs grew in and they lunged at me.


	2. First

**First.**

"NO!" I screamed out as I opened my eyes. I twisted and jerked my body around only to find that I was in the backseat of a car. I was fighting with someone's jacket that they had laid over me. I looked up and saw Damon in the front seat thoroughly enjoying my little performance. I sat up wiping my hair from my face, angry that he had witnessed that.

"I should watch you sleep more often," he said to me with a smile, "far more entertaining than anything on TV these days." I rolled the jacket in a ball and threw it at him. "Oh come on now, don't be a poor sport. I didn't make you fall asleep, you did that all on your own."

"Where are we?" I asked changing the subject. "Why are we stopped?"

"We pulled over for a minute so Stefan could make a call back to everyone and tell them that we found you. They got a little spooked by Katherine's death threats," he explained. "They were a little worried that you might not make it."

"And you? What did you think?" I asked him.

"I figured you'd kill the bitch if you ever had the opportunity. Guess I was wrong about you after all," he said.

I scowled at him. "I need some air," I told him grabbing the door handle. I pulled but nothing happened. I tried again but still the door would not open. "What the hell?"

"Child safety locks," he replied. "I've had enough of chasing you around for the last few weeks. This way I know you won't run off again. Relax. Don't you know how many women would kill to be locked in a car with me?"

"You think awfully highly of yourself, do you know that?" I asked him. "Let me out or I might just kill you."

He turned back towards the windshield. "You're not going to kill me, you like me way too much to do that," he said smugly back to me.

With that I jumped over the front console and onto his seat, my knees straddling his legs, my hand tightening around his throat.

"Do you really think this is a good time to challenge me?" He shook his head 'no' as Stefan got back to the car. He looked at both of us strangely.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked before getting back in the car.

"No…nothing," I said as I removed my hand from his neck and climbed into the back seat. I sat brooding for the rest of the car ride ignoring the conversation in the front.


	3. Second

**Second.**

When we finally made it back to the house I was relieved to see that no one was there to meet us. I wasn't ready to face any of them just yet. I thanked Stefan and threw a look at Damon before climbing the stairs and retreating to my room. It was dark, the shades were pulled and the dim light from the hallway couldn't penetrate in more than three feet or so. I stepped in and closed the door, leaning against it I took in a deep breath and let it out dramatically slowly.

I crossed the unlit room and tossed my phone on the bed as I felt around in the dark for the bedside lamp. I clicked it on and not surprisingly found Lexi sitting on the bed, her arms crossed, a pout on her lips and her eyes staring straight forward. I knew she was ready for a confrontation, but I wasn't in the mood. Instead I walked into the bathroom, ignoring her, locked the door and turned on the shower. I knew that she wouldn't stand to be ignored and would probably walk right through the door to argue, so I turned on the built in shower radio and turned the volume up loud.

Once I was certain that I had made my point about wanting to be alone I grabbed my robe and walked out of the steamy room. I crossed to the dresser and started pulling out shorts and a camisole for bed only to look up and find her standing right next to me. Her arms were still crossed and the disapproving look had not left her face. I got dressed, towel dried my hair and hung up my robe before addressing her.

"Can whatever is bugging you wait until tomorrow?" I asked her. "I'm really not in the mood to argue tonight."

"If it could do you think that I would be here right now?" she asked me in response."

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," I answered. "You have a tendency to blow things out of proportion and turn every little thing into a crisis." She looked hurt by that, and although that certainly wasn't my intention I didn't really feel that badly about it.

"Fine," she said to me, "then I will just leave it to you to sort out what was true and what wasn't about Katherine's little 'confession' today."

I walked back over to the bed, laid against the pillows, took out my e-reader and started to read. Lexi walked right over and knocked it from my hands.

"Lex, what is wrong with you tonight?" I asked her as I reached over for my tablet. She pushed it further away on the bed and then climbed up straddling me with her knees and holding my wrists up against the pillow. "Let me go," I shouted. "Have you completely lost your mind?" I struggled to free myself from her grip but she was surprisingly strong.

"Have I lost my mind?" she repeated, "I thought that we agreed that you would never come back here."

"I never agreed to that, and what difference does it make anyway, Katherine is gone."

"How many times do I have to tell you that Katherine is not the threat I've been warning you about? You could have killed her in that house if she hadn't started answering your questions. By the way, you know that not everything she told you was true, right?" she asked me.

"Let me go Lexi! LET ME GO!" I yelled up at her as she smiled down at me. I heard the bedroom door open and looked over to see Damon standing there. Lexi rolled off of me, still smiling as he sauntered over to me.

"What do you want?" I asked him not even attempting to hide my annoyance.

"I heard you talking to yourself again and thought you might be asleep. I wanted to see if you were dreaming about me again."

"Again? What do you mean again?" I asked him.

"In the car," he explained, "you were repeating my name over and over in your sleep. I have to admit it was a turn on." He stood there grinning at me waiting for a reaction I was determined not to give him.

"Okay, look, I really came to give you this," he handed over a bottle of blood, "and to give you this." He opened his palm to reveal a small box tied with a bow. I took the bottle from him, never taking my eyes off of the box.

"Thank you for this," I said raising the bottle up, "but you have to know that I can't accept that."

"Relax," he told me, "it's not what you think it is. Just open it and if you still don't want it I'll get rid of it."

I gently lifted the box from his hand and untied the neat bow of red satin ribbon that held it closed. I opened the lid only to find another, smaller box inside. This box was made of black velvet with gold trim.

"Damon, I can't take this," I said folding it back into his hand. He shoved the small box back at me.

"Open it before you make up your mind. If it helps I can tell you that it's not an engagement ring, we haven't made it that far in this relationship yet," he said as he smirked at me.

"Well…good" That thought hadn't even crossed my mind, but as usual Damon was feeling quite full of himself and was still convinced that I was secretly harboring feelings for him.

I tipped the cover of the box open and gasped. "See," he said to me, "I told you it wasn't what you were expecting."

I stared at it, my hand over my gaping mouth for a moment and then removed it from the box. It looked exactly as I remembered it save for a little dirt that had gotten into the grooves, but that would be easy enough to clean. I turned it around in my finger looking for the only distinguishing mark that I knew it had. There it was, a tiny chip in the stone. I couldn't believe it, but it could only be one thing.

Lexi stared at him with daggers in her eyes. "You pompous, self-righteous Dick," she spat out at him despite the fact that he couldn't see or hear her. "That's my mood ring!"


	4. Third

**Third.**

"Where did you get this?" I asked him. "Why are you giving it to me?"

"You know where I got it," he answered, "and I'm giving it to you because you are obviously still in pain over her dying. Think of it as a peace offering. I thought it might help." I stared down at the ring and then slipped it on my finger. It instantly turned green, a color I had never seen on it before. Lexi's hands had always been too cold to change its color much. It felt awkward on my finger because it had molded to hers over the years. I took it off and held it in my hand.

"Why did you do it?" I asked him. "Why did you have to kill her? What did she do to you that was so horrible that you had to stake her?" He just stood there for a minute thinking about how he wanted to respond.

"The founding families were suspicious that vampires had returned to Mystic Falls. There were too many people dead and no one was buying the "animal attack" story anymore. I had to kill her so that they wouldn't start suspecting Stefan and I."

"He's lying," she hissed, "He killed me because I was a threat to him, to his relationship with Stefan. He never liked that I had helped Stefan to become one of the good ones."

"So it wasn't because you felt threatened by Lexi and Stefan's relationship?" I countered. "She wasn't helping him to spite you Damon. In fact, it had nothing to do with you. She was helping him because he was her friend, the same way I helped her after she turned."

With that I shut down. I didn't want to hear any more excuses or play referee between a ghost and a vampire. I asked Damon to leave, and after a minute he did. Lexi started ranting about what an ass Damon was, but I was too tired to participate. I fell asleep somewhere in the middle of her speech though rest was not on the agenda for the night.


	5. Fourth

**Fourth.**

I was shivering uncontrollably as we drove down the icy road. Puddles had turned to ice and our wheels were sliding side to side. It wasn't really ideal weather to be out in, but I needed to get to the store before the big storm hit. I wrapped my jacket tighter around my body but the cold was relentless, cutting through the fabric like a knife. When we finally made it I rushed inside hoping to defrost a bit before the return trip.

I waved hello to the woman behind the counter and briefly chatted with one of the girls I knew from town. She was new to the area and had a strange accent that made it difficult to understand her words but we were able to communicate well enough to ask how one another was and wish the other a good day. I walked up and down the aisles searching for supplies and once I had found them I took them up to the woman at the counter.

"Awfully warm for a heavy coat like that my dear," she pointed out. Indeed she was right, sweat had formed on my brow and my hands were clammy. I pulled off the coat to reveal one of my favorite summer dresses.

"Here, take this child," she said as she handed me a beautiful matching bonnet."

"But I have no money for this," I told her as she came around the counter and helped me tie it under my chin. Without a word she stood and walked away.

My father walked into the shop then, "Norrah, it's time to go home, your mother will be getting worried if we are late."

"Yes papa," I said as I walked out the door with him. The sun was high in the sky, children splashed one another with water in a large basin in the yard of a neighboring home. As we headed home I craned my neck and watched them until they disappeared from sight.

I turned my attention forward holding onto my father's strong arm as I marveled at the burst of color from the autumn leaves. Then we heard the cry, a desperate, pain-filled cry for help. Father jumped down and I behind him. It took a minute to find her behind the bank of snow at the edge of the road. A young girl screamed as she lay in a puddle of blood. Father told me to get the sheet from the cart. I ran back listening as the girl screamed, I grabbed the sheet and rushed back just in time to see the baby girl emerge.

I had never seen anything like that, her mother quickly handing her to my father. "Promise that you will take care of her and raise her well," the girl said.

"Of course I will, my wife will be overjoyed to have a baby." The girl stood up and brushed some dirt off of her dress. She asked me for the sheet and I handed it to her.

"She's yours now, do with her what you will." I heard my father say as he walked back towards the cart with the baby. I started to follow him but the girl grabbed my arm.

"Where do you think you are going?" she asked me.

"I'm going home with my father," I answered.

"No you're not, that was an even trade," she said to me smiling, "that baby is his, and you are mine."

I tried to scream but her hand was at my mouth. She wrapped the bloody sheet around me so that I couldn't fight back. I felt her bite like daggers in my neck, felt her draining me. She stopped and turned me around towards her. Her face was twisted and warped, eyes a deep crimson, my blood dripping down her chin, I knew that I recognized her but who was she?

"Don't be afraid, I'm your mother Norrah … Norrah … NORRAH."

My eyes flew open as I stared into Lexi's face. "Norrah, what happened? Norrah?" My body was trembling as I looked around the room. Lexi helped me sit up and embraced me until the tremors stopped. "It was just a dream, it wasn't real," she tried to assure me, but all I kept hearing was Katherine's voice over and over in my head.

"Don't be afraid, I'm your mother Norrah. I'm your mother Norrah. I'm your mother, your mother, your mother…"

I knew it was a dream, the rapid changes in season, my father alive and well, the merchantile just as I remembered it in 1498, even the little girl from Poland who's Bulgarian was elementary at best. The problem was that for all of the fantasy the dream's base was rooted in reality. Katherine was my mother, and I was still very much afraid of her.

Lexi lay back on the pillows. "You never should have come back here, you're setting yourself up for disaster. I hate to say that I told you so…"

"No you don't," I replied. "You love saying that."

"You're right, I told you so," she said with a smile. It was hard to stay mad at her when she smiled, she still looked so innocent, so young.

I heard a quiet knock at the door and without thinking called out, "come in." The door swung open and I screamed.


	6. Fifth

**Fifth.**

"God Nor," Lexi said as she put her hands over her ears, "its Elena, would you please chill out."

"Norrah, it's me, Elena. Are you okay?"

"No, she's not, she's gone completely mad. It happens once you hit the five hundred year mark," Lexi explained to no one since I was the only one who could hear her.

"Shut-up," I whispered back to her. She punched me in the shoulder eliciting and obvious "ouch," from me.

Elena was walking slowly over to the bed, staring at me a little sideways. "Is Lexi still here?" she asked.

"So now you believe me, huh? All it took was a few little death threats, a wicked witch and another run-in with Katherine to change your mind." I regretted it as soon as I said it.

"I never doubted you Norrah," she told me. "I've seen her too. That time she came back and tried to help me with Stefan. If you say that she's here I believe you."

"Thanks," I said sheepishly. "I'm sorry; it's just that everyone thinks I'm crazy right now. Even Katherine underestimated me. I know that some of what she told me isn't true but the parts that were the truth kind of blew my mind and I am still trying to process it all."

"I understand," she says taking my hand. "I went through the same thing when I met Isobel, and even with my uncle John. Just take your time with it. It's likely that it won't ever all make sense, but there is some truth hidden in every lie."

"Thanks Elena." I squeezed her hand.

"Tell her I'm naked!" Lexi exclaimed behind me. I swung around to look at her.

"What?" I asked exasperated. "I'm not going to tell her that!"

"What did she say?" Elena asked intrigued.

"Nothing that bears repeating," I answered. "She is just displaying attention seeking behavior and being crass. Apparently even in death she can't stand not being the center of attention."

"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood," she tells me.

"Yeah well why don't you take a break for an hour and go harass Damon," I said to her.

"Can Damon see and hear her too?" Elena asks.

"No, but that is why she likes to do it. She has a lot of pent up anger towards him and has a lot of fun working it out even though he will never know it."

"Fine," Lexi says as she jumps off the bed, "you are boring me anyway." And she disappears out the door.

"You really missed her didn't you?" Elena asks me.

"She was my sister, my best friend, and the only person who would put up with me for decades at a time. We played off of one another, but Lexi was always the one who got the attention. I was merely along for the ride." I smiled at Elena.

"A few years ago Klaus almost killed Bonnie; in fact I thought that he did kill her. It nearly destroyed me. I don't know what I would do without her, we've been best friends for most of our lives," she told me.

"When Damon killed Lexi I felt it, I mean physically felt it. I was in Toronto sitting on a couch reading a book when all of the sudden I felt a pain that I had never experienced before in my chest. Then it felt like whatever was stabbing me was pushed in deeper. Suddenly the pain stopped. I had been so sure that it was Katherine who was staked and I was dying with her until it stopped. That's when I knew that my Alexia was gone." I felt myself tearing up but breathed through it.

"It must be strange having her back again," Elena said.

"At first I was elated. I never thought that I'd ever see her again. It felt comfortable and safe having her around. When I lost her in the woods I panicked thinking that it was the second time that I missed my chance to say goodbye. I love having her here, she is my rock, you know. The one person I have always been able to depend on, but now I think that I'm getting too attached. When she does go I will be the one left behind again to grieve. That pain crippled me the first time; I just don't know if I can do that again." I felt a hand slip into mine and give it a comforting squeeze. I smiled over at Elena thinking that it was hers until I realized Lexi had popped back in and was doing what she did best.


	7. Sixth

**Sixth.**

I spent a lot of time in the house over the next week. It seemed to be the only surefire way to stay out of trouble. The internet became my outlet. I would spend hours on social media sites talking to other people that I didn't know and who didn't know me. I was amazed at how I was able to become a totally different person online. No one had to know about my past, my lifestyle, my age; all they cared about was who my favorite actor was and what kind of music I listened to. Lexi had no patience for sitting around all day looking at a computer screen so most of the day she would leave.

One day in the week following my night with Katherine I was sitting in the parlor engrossed in an online shopping site that I had stumbled upon when I heard the front door open and someone in heels walking briskly into the entranceway. I looked up and saw a gorgeous young girl with long blond hair, fair skin and a face that would have been stunning if she hadn't been pouting. She saw me as I rose from the couch and threw a disapproving look my way.

"Where's Damon?" she demanded without introducing herself. I looked up at her strangely for a moment.

"I don't know where he went, but he left about twenty minutes ago." I told her. Then she looked me up and down without even a modicum of subtlety.

"Well then, when he gets back tell him I am looking for him," she said. She started to turn away and then paused. "Who are you anyway?"

"I'm Norrah," I told her offering my hand which she looked at momentarily and then looked over me into the parlor.

"Are you a friend of Stefan's?" she asked pointedly.

"I guess you could say that," I told her, "I came here to see Damon and met Stefan in the process. I watched as anger flashed across her face, then out of nowhere Lexi popped in between us with a terrified look on her face.

"I can't help but wonder what Damon sees in you," she tells me. Lexi watches my reaction knowing full well how offended I was by the comment. She puts her hand over my mouth, warning me not to fall into her trap. "When he gets back tell him Rebekah Is looking for him," she instructs me.

"Rebekah who?" I ask back, frustration growing in my voice. In a flash she is at me neck, biting down hard. She had no intention of killing me, this was merely a warning.

"He'll know who," she says as she wipes her lips with the back of her hand. "I'll be back," she warns me as she walks out of the parlor, through the entranceway and out the front door.


	8. Seventh

**Seventh.**

"Of all the people to pick a fight with Norrah," Lexi scolded me as she sat down and put her head in her hands.

"First of all, I didn't pick a fight, she antagonized me," I explained rubbing my sore and raw neck, "and second, who cares? I can handle myself around Damon's jealous little blonde bimbo."

"Blonde bim…" she said exasperated, "don't you realize who that was? I've only been warning you about her for weeks now."

"You've never told me who you were warning me about Lex," I countered. "What's the big deal? She didn't seem that dangerous to me; a little aggressive maybe but not exactly frightening."

"Well you might want to reconsider that statement," Lexi warned me, "That was Rebekah Mikaelson, one of the Originals!"

I felt the color drain from my face as I lowered myself down on the couch across from her. "She is one of the Originals?" I asked, "as in one of the thousand year old original vampires?"

"Exactly," she explained, "Klaus is the most well-known, but he has three brothers and a sister, Rebekah. Klaus is known for being impetuous, but Rebekah has a temper that can be set off at the drop of a hat. If you thought Katherine was bad, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into with Rebekah."

"Do you think she figured out who I am?" I asked as my voice shook with fear. "She said she would be back, do you think she is coming back to try and kill me?"

"I doubt she has any idea," Lexi tried to assure me, "she drank your blood and you didn't react so I imagine she thinks you are just one of Damon's human playthings."

I was stunned. I could not believe that I had come in direct contact with an Original and lived to tell of it. I wondered if Katherine knew.

"Oh believe me," Lexi said answering my thoughts, "she knows, and chances are that she is on her way here right now."

"Great, just what I need," I muttered.

Damon returned home about twenty minutes later obviously none the wiser about what had happened in his absence. He walked down the steps into the sunken parlor as Lexi silently berated him.

"So you had a visitor," I informed him.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, "anyone interesting?"

"I guess you could say that," I replied bending my head to the side so that he could see the bite marks. "Rebekah said to tell you that she'd be back." I watched as his face turned to anger.

"She did that to you? I'll kill her," he said, not really to me. "Does she know who you are now?"

"I don't think so. I tried to introduce myself before I knew who she was, but she didn't seem interested."

"And judging by that mark on your neck she must have assumed you were human," he deduced as he walked over and inspected the wound. "Damn, she bit you hard. You're lucky she didn't just try to kill you." He brushed the hair off of my shoulder and freed the strands that had started drying in the blood. "Don't heal it. We don't need her finding out that you're a vampire."

He left the room to find some aneseptic and a bandage. Lexi was frowning at me from across the room. "You don't need to pretend that you're a human, you need to get the hell out of here. He's going to get you killed Norrah," she told me.

"Well what am I supposed to do then Lex?" I asked her.

"You need to talk to Elena, tell her what happened with Katherine and Rebekah and get a place of your own. Find out if she would be willing to sign for it, that way no 'unwanted' people could get in and you'd be safe." Apparently Lexi had this all thought out already.

Damon came back into the room, sat down next to me and cleaned off my neck, applied some cream and put a bandage over it. Just as he was leaning over me and taping it into place the front door swung open and Rebekah stormed in.

"So, consorting with humans again are we Damon?" she asked as she rushed to the couch, grabbed me by the arms and pulled me across the room with her. "I thought you'd learned you lesson with that little bitch Elena."

I could feel the fire rising inside of me but Lexi stood right beside me pleading with me not to react.

Damon rushed at her but Rebekah was much faster and far stronger. I felt one of the ones in my arm break as she twisted me into awkward and unnatural positions. I cried out in pain as the bones dug into the muscle. Damon made another attempt to catch her, but again she was able to out maneuver her and dislocate my shoulder. I was actively sobbing at this point, and it was all I could do not to heal the wounds, turn on her and throw her skinny ass across the room.

"I might as well just kill her," Rebekah said to Damon, "just look at what you're putting her through. Poor thing is suffering," she said, brushing my hair off of my neck and ripping the bandage from the fresh wound. "Why don't you join me Damon, I've already had a taste? She's delicious."

Her fangs sank back into my neck, deeper that I knew possible. She expertly drained most of my blood in just a few seconds before she held her head up, her face twisted into that of a monster, blood covering her teeth and chin. Damon saw his opportunity. He rushed at us, pushing me to the ground, my useless arms unable to shield my fall I took the full force into my shoulder. I lay there, unmoving, playing dead as best I could; technically I was dead after all.

"Enough," he said to her, "she's as good as dead now."

"I'm disappointed in you," she told him as she cleaned off her chin, "I had hoped that we could share a meal today; pity. Well you'll clean that up after I go I suppose?" she asked pointing at my lifeless broken body. She grabbed his head and kissed him hard, ensuring that he got a good taste of my blood, and then she sauntered out of the house.


	9. Eighth

**Eighth.**

Damon rushed over and helped my roll onto my back. My collarbone and both arms were clearly broken, one shoulder had been dislocated and the wound on my neck was bleeding heavily. I knew it was taking everything he had not to give in to it. Stefan walked in the door as Damon helped me to straighten out my twisted limbs. He rushed over realized that I was in trouble and ran to the basement for blood.

I tried to heal myself but I didn't have enough strength. I needed more blood to circulate first. I watched as Damon fought to stay in control as the wound on my neck bled relentlessly. The urge began to take over; it was stronger than he was. I watched his eyes turn red and his fangs descend. He lowered his head, fighting a losing battle against his nature. When his lips reached my neck and I felt him give in to it I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Stefan returned in time to see that Damon had clearly lost control. He dropped the bags of blood and tackled Damon off of me. They scuffled with each other as I bent my knees up and started pushing my broken body towards the entrance to the parlor. I thought that if I could just get close enough I might be able to get ahold of one of the bags and sink my teeth in. I pushed myself desperately closer, unable to use my upper body. The boys were entangled in one another both trying to outdo the other, both with fangs barred.

I realized once I got close enough to crane my neck despite the pain that Stefan had been in the hallway when he dropped the bags meaning that there were stairs. There was no way that I would be able to get up to where the blood was. I called out to Stefan but only succeeded in distracting him long enough for Damon to hit him with a thick glass vase, knocking him out and allowing him to descend on me.

I cried out trying to break through and remind Damon that I was his friend, he didn't want to kill me, but I knew the allure of my blood was far too tempting. I heard the crash of the door and the rush of air as she entered. Damon looked up just in time to be thrown off of me and up against the stone hearth knocking him out. I was nearly drained when she grabbed one of the bags, bit it open and let it run into my mouth.

Stefan had started to stir and was looking around the room at what had just happened. He saw her standing over me but couldn't see what she was doing. He tackled her from behind, one of their feet crunching down on my mangled arm. He was no match for her of course and she grabbed him by the throat and pushed him up against the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" she asked him. "Are you completely determined to get us all killed?" She dropped him to the floor. "Stay away from her from now on or I will kill you both as well as your merry little band of followers. The streets will run with the blood of the supernatural if either of you ever lays a hand on her again." With that she snapped Stefan's neck and he slumped to the floor.

Katherine turned back to me. "Now, as for you, I've heard that the witch figured out a concoction that will knock you out without the burning effect of vervain." She waited for me to confirm this.

"Witch hazel and vervain mixed together," I told her as she held that blood bag up to my lips.

I could feel the shattered bones near my neck rub with each swallow, but I knew this was the only way that I would be able to heal. After two bags I was able to concentrate enough and felt the bones and tissues stitching themselves back together. I was still weak, but I could sit up on my own.

"What are you going to do to me?" I asked her. "Where are you planning to take me now?"

"I'm not taking you anywhere," she told me. I must have looked confused. "We are going to go up to your room and you are going to rest. I will worry about what to do with them when they wake." She helped me to my feet and grabbed the last of the blood bags. Lexi stood by the stairs.

"Don't go with her Nor, she's up to no good," she warned me causing me to momentarily pause.

"Your little ghost still interfering?" she asked me. When I didn't answer she reached up to my neck and pulled my necklace off. "Let's just see how well you do without her."

I felt the needle enter into my flesh as she pushed the plunger in hard. I didn't feel the burn so obviously she had taken the time to mix in the witch hazel.

I looked up into her face as I slipped away and asked, "Why?"

She stared down at me, raised her eyebrows, cocked her head to the side and answered, "Because I care Anelia…"


	10. Ninth

**Ninth.**

I was roused from my sleep late in the night. I rubbed my eyes and reached my hands out for my mother who embraced me and whispered in my ear that we had to hurry. She wore a gown of green satin and gold lacing, her hair was long and wavy, her familiar face the most beautiful I had ever seen. She found my small blue dress and the underskirts that went with it and quickly slipped off my dressing gown. I sat on the bed while she slipped my feet into the tiny boots that had been next to the door.

I held my ragdoll in one hand and had three fingers from the other in my mouth. She lifted me from the bed with ease, resting me on her hip as she rushed through the house. I was still so tired that I had to rest my head on her shoulder. She stopped at the front doorway, lifted my chin and kissed my cheek. She put me down on the floor and hastily tied my hair back with a ribbon. Then she knelt down in front of me and told me that I was to hold her hand tightly and run no matter how tired I was. I started to weep and she wiped away the tears, hugged me tightly and kissed me again.

She opened the door, looked out and then turned back to me, "Okay Anelia, it's time, run as fast as you can," and we were off.

I was slowing her down as I was only two years old. My little feet tired out so quickly. I heard men yelling in the distance and they seemed to be getting closer. Mother finally turned and lifted me up as she ran.

"It's okay darling, please don't cry," she would yell as we ran.

Finally she saw a large overturned tree and she huddled down behind it and told me to stay quiet. I was terrified, there was no way that I would have made a noise. I looked up at my mother's face. She had a small gash across her cheek and dirt across her forehead. I heard the men yelling, they weren't more than a few yards away. Mother grabbed me and hugged me tightly to her and put her hand over my mouth. The men started to walk in the opposite direction and soon she loosened her grasp on me. She put a finger up to her mouth and peeked over the tree.

Mother scrambled up, grabbed my hand and again we were off. We ran for what seemed like hours, my little legs had gone numb by the time we spotted a cottage. Mother knocked desperately and then begged the women to take pity on us and let us in. The younger woman looked at me strangely as she instructed the elder to fetch us something to eat. I didn't understand the strange language that they spoke with one another but my mother did. She explained our desperate situation and asked them for mercy.

I pulled on my mother's dress telling her that I was so tired, my legs were sore and I was scared. The younger woman in the house looked at my mother demanding to know what language I was speaking. My mother told them that we were from Bulgaria and I did not know English. The woman stared down at me and I tried to hide behind mother's skirts. She showed us a small room that was set up with a bed and a tiny hearth. Mother walked down the steps into the sunken room but before I could follow the young woman slammed the door, locking it into place.

I cried out for my mother, banging on the door, begging the woman to let me in, but she just stood there looking amused at my plight. It seemed that she liked hearing me talk. Mother tried to calm me from the other side of the door as she desperately tried to get out. After a few minutes the woman instructed my mother to make me stop but I was just a baby and so scared. She asked my mother what my name was and she told her, "Anelia Elisaveta Petrova."

The woman's face changed after hearing that. She opened the door but restrained my mother. She knew that if I was a Petrova then that meant that my mother was the reclusive Katerina Petrova who was being hunted by Niklaus, the Original vampire. She tied my mother's hands and feet with a rope and a gag in her mouth. I cried out for her in vain. I finally was able to push past the woman and get to my mother who was in tears, begging in both English and Bugarian through the gag to let me go.

The young woman smiled down at us, me clinging tightly to my mother who tried to shield me with her body. She looked over at me and easily untangled me from my mother. I looked back at her with tears in my eyes. The woman removed mother's gag and let her speak to me. She told me to run away as fast as I could and to find someone to help. "I love you my precious Anelia Elisaveta. Goodbye my girl, we will meet again in another life."

Mother looked up at the woman and asked her to please put me in another room as she killed her so that I would not have that memory to carry around with me for the rest of my life. The woman smiled down at her and told her that she was not planning to kill her. I saw my mother's eyes widen in horror and then looked over at the woman who still held me in her arms as her eyes turned red, her teeth grew long and she bent down to my neck, biting into the young, supple flesh.

I cried out in pain and heard mother's voice crack, "Anelia, no! Not my baby, please!"

I felt the pain lessen and slowly the world went dark.


	11. Tenth

**Tenth.**

I woke up gasping for air, staring around the familiar room. There was a chilled glass of blood on my bedside table. I reached over and drank thirstily aware that it was human blood and not the animal blood I was so used to. I put the glass down, stepped out of bed and walked towards the door. I unlocked the deadbolt and turned the handle. I was a little surprised that the door opened, so Katherine really wasn't trapping me in a room this time.

I turned around, walked over to the windows and parted the curtains. Grasping the lock on one of the panes I turned it and the window swung open and cool fresh air rushed into the stuffy room. I took in some deep breaths, the stale air in the room had made my head feel a bit fuzzy. I knew that I should probably take a shower and clean up a bit, but I wanted to go downstairs and see if I could find my phone or my laptop.

As I walked down the stairs I noticed the overwhelming silence and figured there must not be anyone here. I looked around in the parlor and the study but I couldn't find my things anywhere. I pouted with my hands on my hips and did one final scan of the grand rooms. As I walked through the hallway I could feel the front door beckoning. I looked myself over and decided that I looked descent enough to go out in the front yard.

I grabbed a sweater from the small coat closet, slipped on my shoes and stepped out. The smell of frost and imminent snow clung to the air. Although the temperature wasn't ideal it felt so good to be out of the house. I sat down on the brick half-wall and leaned back against the column. Looking out across the lawn I let the chilled air fill my lungs and then watched as my frozen breath swirled around in the breeze and disappeared. I pulled the sweater tighter around me determined to stay out as long as possible.

As I gazed across the lawn I saw a figure coming up the drive. Elena waved as she came nearer blowing into her cold hands in an attempt to warm them.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked. "It's so cold!"

"I know, but the house gets so stuffy and I needed some fresh air." I told her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you," she told me. "I've been calling but you haven't returned my calls or my emails so I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"I'm sorry," I told her, "I misplaced my phone and computer. I was hoping that Stefan was home so I could ask him if he'd seen them but it seems I'm all alone today."

"Where's Damon?" she asked.

I turned away from her, "I don't know and don't really care either." She reached out and touched my hand.

"Stefan told me what happened," she explained. "I can't believe he lost control like that. I mean I can believe it, but not with you. Why would he have even bitten you in the first place?"

"He didn't, at least he didn't initiate it, "I told her. "It was Rebekah. Apparently she thought that Damon and I were involved in some way, she bit me before he came home, and then left. When she came back we were on the couch and she got the wrong idea. It was horrible. Thank goodness for Lexi."

"What did Lexi do?" she asked me.

"She warned me about Rebekah, told me not to react despite what she was doing to me. If she hadn't been there Rebekah might have killed me. Katherine doesn't know if the Originals are able to kill a Unique. Of course by the time Katherine got there I could have been long gone. She keeps trying to convince me that she is protecting me, but she is about as effective as Stefan and Damon."

Elena turned and looked out across the yard. "Okay, it is getting too cold, let's go back in and make some cocoa."

That sounded good to me. We walked back in and I worked on building a fire while Elena went to the kitchen to make the cocoa. Once the fire was going and the room started to warm up I sat back on the couch. Elena came back in with two steaming mugs. We both held them close warming our hands as we sipped the sweet chocolate.

"How is it?" Elena asked me.

"It's great," I told her, "I feel so relaxed, like I could just sit here in front of this fire and sip cocoa forever."

We both stared into the flames as we finished and put the mugs down. Elena looked over at me and yawned.

"I feel like I could take a long nap," she told me.

"Same here," I said, the feeling of exhaustion washing over me like a tidal wave.

"Good," she said to me, "that was the plan." I watched as she stood and crossed over to where I was slumping down on the couch. I could barely keep my eyes open but I was aware enough to see the tilt of her head and the smile creep across her face. She reached under me, effortlessly lifted me from the couch and started walking out of the parlor.

"Katherine?" I asked feeling the effects of whatever she had obviously slipped into my cocoa taking over quickly.

"Shhh…" she said to me looking straight forward as she climbed the stairs. "Just sleep, don't worry about anything else right now." I felt a quick rush of adrenaline but it started fading fast.

"Why?" I asked her as I faded out.

"I am your mother after all," she said to me as she put me down in the bed. "I'm just trying to protect you…"

With that I drifted off, no opportunity to react to her words or the fact that she had tricked me into thinking she was Elena. Katherine truly was a master manipulator.


	12. Eleventh

**Eleventh.**

The pain was coming in waves, gripping my abdomen and wrapping around to my back. At its worst there was nothing that could be done to relieve it. When it would subside I took in deep breaths and release the death grip I had on the sheets. The fire in the hearth was making the room too warm, I needed some fresh air. Before I was able to ask the pain tore through me again.

"Push, push," I kept hearing over and over. The woman was bent down at the end of the bed, I couldn't see her face but I knew her voice. "Push harder my girl, it's coming."

She looked up at me beaming. I wanted to smile back but the pain was too intense. I bore down as hard as I could, my lower body searing.

"Once more, push hard, this will be the worst one," she told me as I gave one final push.

I heard a cry, felt the pain subside and closed my eyes. My head fell back onto the pillow as I fought to catch my breath in the stifling room. The worst was over, the child had been born. As it was placed on my chest just over my heart I felt a love like no other I had ever known.

"It's a girl," my mother told me, "a sweet beautiful girl."

"A girl," I exclaimed, "we wanted a girl so badly!"

"She is an answer to your prayers," she said as she walked towards the front door and opened it. "Damon, come in here and meet your daughter."

He rushed in to me kissing my face and staring down at the beautiful little person we had created. My mother finished what needed doing at the end of the bed then took the little girl to clean her and wrap her up.

Damon stared down at me. "I am more in love with you now than I was the day we married," he held my face in his hands and kissed me long and hard.

His arms slowly wrapped around my shoulders, his lips brushing my cheek and then moving slowly down my neck.

"Ah, ah, ah," I heard my mother say, "perhaps you should wait until you have named this little angel before setting to work creating another."

She handed the baby to Damon who stood blushing. His eyes danced over her little face and his fingertips traced her tiny features. Mother turned her attention to me as she leaned down and kissed my cheek. She must have felt how hot I was because she reached over and opened the window allowing the cool night air in.

We both watched as Damon held his little girl speaking softly into her ear; secrets that only the two of them would ever know. A tear escaped my eye and mother quickly brushed it away. She sat on the edge of the bed staring down at me caressing my cheek with her hand. I looked up into her dark brown eyes, her long dark hair fell to her waistline just as mine did. Although we didn't look very much alike we did share some of our Bulgarian features.

After a time Damon brought the baby back to me. We needed to decide what to name her. I hadn't even thought about it. I had always assumed that her name would come once I had a chance to look at her, but I was stumped. Damon leaned down close to me and whispered in my ear.

"I think we should name her after your mother; a legacy."

I liked the idea. My mother had raised me by herself and was more than just my mother, she was my best friend. It was only fitting to name my precious baby girl after her, Ellanore.

Damon called my mother over to the bedside so that we could tell her. "I'd like to introduce our daughter, Katherine Pierce Salvatore," he told her as her eyes lit up. She embraced him and then turned back to me.

"No, that's not right," I said looking back and forth between them, "her name is Ellanore Christian." They exchanged glances and looked down at me worried.

"Sweetheart, we just agreed to name her after your mother, Katherine," Damon told me. "Where did the name Ellanore come from?"

"What?" I asked him. "Ellanore, my mother, that's her name."

My mother stepped forward placing her hand on my forehead. "The fever must be causing her confusion," she said to Damon. "Anie, do you recognize me my girl? It's mother." I started to cry, I didn't know what was going on.

My mother took my face in her hands. "Look at me," she instructed, "Anelia Elisaveta look at me. I am your mother, Katherine Pierce. This is your husband Damon, and this is your new baby girl Katherine Pierce Salvatore."

I shook my head violently, "No," I yelled back at them, "Where is Ellanore? Where is my mother? Who are you?"

Katherine took the baby from my hands. Damon knelt down beside me.

"What is going on? You aren't my husband, that isn't my mother."

He smiled down at me. "It was for the baby. We did it for the baby. Now your part is over."

"What are you talking about?" Katherine placed the baby in a small crib and sat back down on the bed.

"Thank you for that gift, you have no idea how much it means to us," she said to me then grabbed the collar of Damon's shirt, pulled him to her and kissed him. When she released him they both looked down at me.

"You know Katherine, there is one more thing that she could be useful for," He said to her with a devilish look in his eyes. She smiled back at him nodding.

"Dinner!" she announced as they descended upon me, one on either side of my neck.

They lifted their heads after only a moment, smiled at one another, their faces covered in blood. They kissed one final time before Katherine looked down at me and said, "Goodbye my girl, we will meet again in another life." Then they finished me.


	13. Twelfth

**Twelfth**

My hands flew up to my neck as I shot up to a sitting position. I could still feel their breath, their lips, their fangs. I remembered the feeling of labor pains. They were so unlike what I had felt with Maddie. I felt the overwhelming love towards Damon as he walked into the cabin and kissed me. The feeling of his lips on mine and his arms around my shoulders was so strong, so right. The feeling of love that I received from Katherine, my mother and my best friend; it all seemed so real and so very disturbing.

A shower, that was what I needed. I grabbed my robe and locked myself in the bathroom. I turned on the water and as I waited for it to warm up I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Shock is the only work I can think of to describe my reaction. My face looked drawn and had a greyish pallor, my eyes were bright red, lips pale and lifeless. My hair was the worst. Not only was it stringy and tangled, but grease weighed down the roots and the rest hung limp down my back.

Turning away from the mirror I slipped into the shower and used every product I could find to try and improve my appearance. When I was through my skin had been scrubbed raw, the shampoo and crème rinse bottles were empty and the bar of soap was little more than a paper thin sliver. I took my time drying off, applying crèmes and lotions, eye drops and hair detangler. When I was finished I wrapped my robe around my body, a towel around my wet hair and walked back into the bedroom. Looking up after tying the robe I stopped short. Katherine sat on the edge of the bed, legs crossed and nail file in hand.

"Do you mind?" I asked her. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Well, that wasn't really the warm and fuzzy reception that I had hoped for," she responded making no attempt to leave the room.

I scowled at her, grabbed an outfit from the dresser and walked back into the bathroom. I had just finished getting dressed when she let herself in and sat up on the counter.

"I have nothing to say to you," I told her.

"That's too bad," she replied, "I was planning on asking you to join me for a drink in the parlor. It would be to your advantage to come you know, I will have a chilled glass of blood waiting for you."

"I can get my own meals, thank you very much," I said snidely back to her.

"You could," she said with a slight inflection in her voice, "except that all of the blood bags and bottles in the house has been covered with vervain so it probably wouldn't be in your best interest to try and get your own."

"Why would you do that?" I asked as she inspected her nails and put the file down on the counter.

"Insurance," she responded as she slipped down from the counter, "that way I know that you can't get at it to try and taint it , flush it, or whatever else you might come up with."

"You are really sick, do you know that?" I asked following her out of the bathroom.

"I've been told," she told me looking over her shoulder and smiling at me. She headed towards the bedroom door. "Oh, and by the way, don't bother trying to get out of the house to hunt, all of the outer doors and windows have also been rubbed with vervain. I'll see you in the parlor in, what, about ten minutes?" Then she walked out of the room closing the door behind her.

If I wasn't so hungry I never would have gone down, but I did make a point to take my time getting ready. Drying my hair, brushing my teeth, applying make-up and trying out three or four different hairstyles took at least forty-five minutes. When I finally made it down to the study I could feel the annoyance seething off of her, but she plastered a smile on her face and pushed a glass towards me. I didn't take it right away, first I had some questions.

"So how is it that Stefan and Damon are allowing you to stay here?" I asked her. "And where are they anyway, I haven't seen them in days."

"They don't know that I'm here," she explained sipping her drink. "Wow, this is extraordinary," she said holding her glass up to the light.

"Get to the point Katherine," I warned.

"You know I don't think that you should call me by my name anymore, perhaps you could try 'mother' for a change." She was baiting me.

"No," I told her. "Where are they Katherine?"

"Damon took off after he woke up and realized what he had done. Stefan came up to check on you, thought that I was Elena and told me to stay with you while he went after Damon. I'm only doing what I've been told," she replied innocently.

I picked up my glass and sniffed it suspiciously then took a tiny sip. She wasn't kidding, it really was good.

"While we're on the subject, why did you pretend to be Elena the other day?" I asked.

"At first I just wanted to see if I could fool you. Apparently you no longer have that negative reaction every time you see me. Then I just kept up the charade while you prattled on and on. It's nice to know that you think so little of me that I would allow that moronic Original bitch to kill you before I got here."

"She almost did," I said to her exasperated!

"Damon was here, he wasn't going to let her kill you," she responded. "I didn't realize that he would attack you as well that foolish ass."

I finished my drink and stood to leave the room. "You almost let me get killed, why in the world would I ever trust that you would come to my rescue before they actually did kill me?" I asked her. I noticed that my legs felt a bit numb.

"Because, my girl, if they kill you I die as well," she said to me, "and I have no plans to die anytime soon."

I looked down at her and shook my head. "You really are a bitch." I told her as I started to leave the parlor.

My feet hardly cleared the stairs as I climbed and by the time I got to my room I had to crawl to the bed. What did she keep giving to me to cause this reaction? I was able to climb up into the bed before passing out.


	14. Thirteenth

**Thirteenth.**

We walked down the dirt road towards the village each with a basket in our hands. We had spent days making the jams, jellies and preserves and today was the day to try and sell them to the mercantile. I talked most of the way, telling my good friend about the strange man who had asked to court me. I had turned him down of course just as I had scores of suitors before him. Alexia listened patiently and occasionally offered some advice.

We were the best of friends, always had been. We spent the majority of our lives together. I thought of her more as a sister than a friend. She'd had a very unfortunate past losing first her father and then her mother, marrying a lovely man and having the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. Then one day she went to wake her daughter who was nearing her fourth year, and found her cold and dead in her bed still clutching her ragdoll. Her husband was so distraught that he drowned himself. All of this tragedy occurred before she had even turned twenty.

I didn't see the small hole in the road and stepped right into it causing me to trip. Landing hard on my knees I managed a few small scrapes but was able to save the jars in my basket. Alexia helped me up and I hefted up my skirt to see the damage. There was a lot of blood but the cuts were small. Wiping away the loose dirt I looked up to let Alexia know I was alright and noticed something strange in her face.

"Alexia, your eyes," I said pointing out the redness that had formed around them.

"It's nothing" she assured me as she turned away, "I think I just got a little dust in them."

She took a few deep breaths and I touched her shoulder. When she turned back to me her face looked completely normal. She smiled at me, "See, it was nothing?"

I let my skirt fall back over my knees and we started our trek again. Alexia told me about a young girl she had met a few days before when she had gone into the village. Normally I accompany her on these walks but I had a slight cold that day and she convinced me to stay at home with my mother. She told me about the girl's family, she was the only daughter with four brothers. They lived in a large house on the opposite side of the village and she had the most extraordinary dresses and hairpieces.

She sounded lovely and I told Alexia that as we entered the small store and went about bartering for our wares. Our fruit was always a big hit and the villagers were always asking about it so we knew we could fetch a fair price. We made a few trades for some fabric, sugar and flour, and then were given the rest of what was owed in cash. My mother would be so happy when we got back; this was our best sell yet!

"Oh look Anie, there she is now," Alexia said to me as she looked across the store and waved.

I watched as a beautiful girl with fair skin and corn silk blond hair walked towards us. She wore a dress that I had only ever imagined on royalty. The pattern was simple but the bodice and skirt were made completely of a powder blue satin. There was lace trim around her neckline and sleeves and she carried a silk parasol, the likes of which I had never before seen.

She and Alexia greeted one another and then Alexia introduced me. "Rebekah, this is my dear friend Anelia whom I've told you about."

Rebekah looked me over then put out her hand which I took as we both curtsied to one another. I noticed a pretty silver charm with a very interesting pattern and a reddish stone that rested on a thin chain at the nape of her neck.

"That is a beautiful necklace you have on Rebekah." I complimented her.

"Please," she implored me, "call me Bekah, all of my friends do. It's from my mother. Silly I know since it hardly ever matches my attire but I never take it off." She smiled back at me. "Oh dear," she said looking down at my dress, "have you injured yourself?"

I looked down and saw that the bleeding had continued and had stained my dress. "It's just a scratch; I guess we best get going so that I can attend to it."

Rebekah's eyes never left my dress, "Yes perhaps that would be wise."

Alexia and I said our goodbyes and excused ourselves.

"Wait," Rebekah called out after us, "I meant to ask you both if you'd be interested in joining me for dinner?"

I looked at Alexia and nodded. "We'd be honored," she told Rebekah.

"Wonderful, then why don't you come by the house a little early and we can have cocktails before we eat."

The plan sounded great. I was excited to see this grand house that Alexia had spoken of. Rebekah had the most intriguing accent that drew you in as she talked. I looked forward to hearing her talk some more that night.

When we got back to the house mother was indeed very happy with our bartering and trades. I told her all about meeting Rebekah and how she had invited Alexia and I to her home for dinner. Mother was thrilled. She helped us both to get ready allowing us to borrow her two fanciest dresses. Then she took a comb to my long dark hair and expertly fixed it into the most beautiful style I had ever seen. She and I both had the same long dark hair and dark eyes but rarely did we ever resemble one another. However on this night as I peered into the looking glass I was shocked to see that we did indeed look very much alike.

We took the carriage to Rebekah's home so that we wouldn't soil our shoes or dresses. As we came up upon it I couldn't help but stare up in fascination. It wasn't merely a house that stood in front of us, but a palace of stone and colored glass. As we walked up to the door Alexia suddenly realized that she had forgotten to bring a jar of preserves as a hostess gift. I assured her that it wasn't going to be a problem, but she insisted on going back to the village to get one. She told me to stay and get to know Rebekah a bit better and promised that she would be right back.

As she rode off with the carriage I reached up to the ornate door knocker and pounded the door with it. Within moments Rebekah opened the door with a smile. She had changed from her day clothes and now wore a gown of burgundy laced with gold and silver stitching. Her beautiful hair was pinned up and away from her face and her necklace hung just above the neckline of her bodice. The stone matched the gown perfectly as if it were made to be worn with this particular ensemble.

"Is Alexia not with you?" she asked me looking out at the road.

"She was, but she forgot something in town. She should be back shortly." I explained.

"Well please come in," she said to me still smiling.

I was as taken by the interior of the house as I was by the exterior. Marble flooring ran through the entrance hallway and up the double winding staircases on either side of the room. In the middle of the grand entrance was a white stone fountain with cherubs carved delicately into its sides. The ceiling was breathtaking. Large wooden beams crossed the room and in between were what appeared to be hand-painted scenes of villagers, farmers, royalty and peasants.

"Bekah your house is incredible," I told her still staring up at the artwork above.

She took my hand and led me into a parlor where there were already cocktails poured and placed on the polished wooden table between the two elaborately covered couches and a large chair. She offered me a drink and took her seat in the chair looking like a queen upon her throne. This room was equally incredible, if not more so. There was carved wood molding between the walls and ceiling; wallpaper adorned with beautiful symbols, but by far the most impressive was the hearth. The carved stones, each unique of one another, were placed in a sort of pattern depending on their hue. They looked so finely polished that I imagined them to be gemstones.

"I've heard so much about you from Alexia," Bekah said to me. "You two seem to have quite a bond."

"Yes," I responded swallowing a sip of my drink. "We've known each other for almost all of our lives. She's like a sister to me."

"Such a shame that she lost her family so young, I'm sure you have been quite a comfort to her."

"I'd like to think so," I told her. "Her husband and daughter died so tragically and so suddenly. It seemed that my mother and I were all that she had left."

"So your mother is still living then?" I nodded. "Does she approve of the fact that you haven't any suitors courting you at this age?"

I was a little surprised by her forwardness, "Well my problem isn't really a lack of suitors you see, it's more a lack of interest in the whole courting process."

I took another few sips of my drink and could feel it starting to go to my head a little, but it had a relaxing effect.

"I see," she replied. "Do you mind if I ask what your family name is? Alexia told me that your mother was originally from Europe as my family is."

I took another sip of my drink. "My parent's families were both from Bulgaria; my father was a Christov and my mother a Petrova. After my father died my mother changed her name to Pierce, so I guess that would be it. My full name is Anelia Elisaveta Petrova, but mostly I just go by Anie Pierce."

"Petrova you say?" she asked as she moved over to sit next to me on the couch. I think I knew some Petrova's in England."

"Possibly, I know that we had some family there, though it was a long time ago." "I told her. I didn't notice her inching towards me; the drink had left me quite uninhibited.

Do you mind if I take a closer look at your hair style?" she asked me. "It's simply ravishing."

"No, of course not," I said brushing it away from my neck. "My mother put it up for me."

I didn't notice how close she was until I felt her breath on my neck. I tried to inch away but she grabbed my head, pulled me towards her and bit down hard. I was so shocked that I couldn't even react. I heard the front door opening and Alexia rushing in.

"What are you doing?" she asked Rebekah. "I thought we agreed to do it together. Did you even give her your blood first?"

Rebekah raised her head and smiled, her eyes were bright red and her mouth was dripping with blood. As she spoke I noticed her fangs.

"You took too long and I was getting hungry." She replied. "You didn't tell me she was a Petrova. I won't turn another one of them, but I can tell you that they are one of the most delectable of all humans." She grabbed my wrist and bit down. The pain was great but I remained frozen in horror. "Here, come and join me, there's plenty to share."

"You promised to turn her into a vampire," Alexia said, hurt in her voice and her eyes.

"Well instead I decided to turn her into dinner," Rebekah replied holding my wounded wrist up to Alexia.

I watched as my dear friend's face changed to that of a monster. She tried to fight the urge but it was far too strong. She grabbed my wrist and bit down. Rebekah smiled and attacked my neck again biting harder and deeper. I stared straight ahead as I felt the life leaving my body. Just before I died Alexia looked over at me, tears in her eyes and blood on her chin.

"I'm so sorry Anie." She bent back down to my wrist and my world went dark.


	15. Fourteenth

**Fourteenth.**

I opened my eyes as tears flowed. The physical pain didn't linger but the emotional pain was as real as if it had actually happened. Why would Alexia betray me like that? We had always told each other everything. I knew it was only a dream but it still hurt. I couldn't help but wonder if she had felt this way when I finally told her the truth.

Why did Katherine keep doing this to me? Was she feeding me dreams in the hopes that I would turn on all of my friends? I knew that I had to confront her about it now. If I waited any longer who knew what she would try to get me to believe. I changed into a new pair of jeans and a warm sweater that I had bought in a store in town before heading out into the hallway. I could hear Katherine's voice down the hall in one of the spare rooms so I stalked down after it and threw open the door.

"Oh my God," I said as my hands flew up to my eyes.

I couldn't believe what I had walked in on. Katherine and a young man, a human I assumed, in a compromising position. She just looked over and smiled as if it was no big deal, the young man, however, got embarrassed and slid over to the opposite side of the bed pulling the sheet up to his neck.

"Can I help you?" she asked me.

"Not right now, but perhaps when you are in a less occupied state," I said still shielding my eyes despite their separation on the bed.

She looked over at him, his sheepish expression made her laugh. "You don't have to worry," she told him, "it's only my daughter." He looked up at me and then back at her obviously confused.

"You're kidding right?" he asked. "Clearly you are both around the same age."

"Clearly," I muttered.

Katherine caught his gaze with hers and said, "She is my daughter and I am her mother. Looks can be deceiving." Then she broke her gaze.

"Well it's nice to meet you," he called out to me, "your mother is a lovely woman." I gazed back at him shaking my head.

"I'll wait in my room until you are no longer indisposed," I told Katherine, then looking back at her boy toy, who was probably the same age as me, I told him in no uncertain terms, "She's not my mother, you were right the first time." I slammed the door as I walked out and was disgusted to hear them starting up again before I reached my room.

The idea hit me like a ton of bricks. Katherine was busy and would probably remain so for a while longer. I suspected she would probably make a meal out of him anyway so that would give me a few extra moments. I silently slipped out of the room and down the stairs. The glasses that we had used the night before remained on the table in the parlor. Obviously Katherine wasn't much of a housekeeper. I grabbed the one I had used, and then I found a glove in the front closet and carefully turned the bolt on the front door.

I heard the man scream out in pain so I knew she was feeding and that I didn't have much time. I threw the front door open and took off across the lawn and down the long driveway. Inevitably she had heard my escape but I had the advantage of being fully clothed and not having to waste time getting dressed. I took off in a flash towards Bonnie's house, the only one I knew I would be safe in. When I turned the corner and saw not only Bonnie's car but also Elena's I could have cried I was so happy. I raced up the street and then slowed as I got to her walkway.

I listened carefully and could hear that Katherine was in pursuit of me so I didn't bother knocking I just ran through the door slamming it shut behind me and locking the bolt. I was out of breath and sweating as Bonnie and Elena rushed down the stairs. I looked up at them red faced and panting and they stared down at me with looks of horror on their faces.

"I need your help." I told them as I held the bloody glass up for them to see.


	16. Fifteenth

**Fifteenth.**

We all settled into the living room and I finally caught my breath. Elena was looking at me waiting for me to explain. Bonnie couldn't tear her eyes away from the glass which now sat on the coffee table.

"I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, but I didn't know where else to go," I told them.

"Where have you been?" Elena asked me. "I've been calling and texting you for days, we were getting worried."

"I've been at the boarding house with Katherine. After the incident with Rebekah and Damon she wouldn't let me out of her sight." I said.

"The incident with Rebekah and Damon?" Elena repeated seemingly confused. "What happened with Rebekah and Damon? Did she do something to hurt him?"

I looked up and found them both awaiting an explanation. "Oh geez," I exclaimed, "you have no idea what happened…okay, well I guess I'd better explain that first."

I told them all about my initial meeting with Rebekah when she bit me, Damon warning me not to heal and then helping to clean it up and then Rebekah walking in as he leaned over me on the couch.

"Thank God Lexi was there otherwise I would have fought back and Rebekah might have figured out what I was."

I told them about her torturing me and feeding on me. As if that wasn't bad enough Damon lost control and started feeding on me as well.

They both sat there stunned so I continued on telling them about Stefan showing up and then Katherine. The boys both took off thinking I was with Elena in the house but it was Katherine who had spent the last few days drugging me and causing me to have horrifying dreams.

"She took my phone, my computer, and, worst of all, my ring. She knew that Lexi was helping me and that I couldn't see her without it so she took it." I stopped talking waiting for a reaction from them.

After a few moments Elena spoke. "So you've been trapped in the boarding house with Katherine all this time?"

"Yeah," I responded. "I only got away today because she couldn't help herself and had invited a young man over. I knew how that was going to end so I took advantage of a few extra minutes. She just started feeding as I ran out the door."

Bonnie had gone back to staring at the glass. "That's not from her 'friend', is it?

"No, but I guarantee that it's not from a deer or a bunny."

She looked away. "So what do you need our help with?"

"A few things actually," I told them. "First I need to know if you can figure out what she has been putting in my drinks. Every time I have anything she brings me I pass out and dream awful things." I gave them a quick recap of the dreams I'd been having and then looked back over at Bonnie. "Please Bonnie, I have to know what she's been doing if I am ever to combat it."

Well I can try," she told me with a very limited amount of confidence in her voice. "I'll need to get a few things together first, do you have a little time?"

"I have all the time in the world. I can't leave here for a while. Katherine's bound to be pretty angry."

"Well as long as she doesn't try to burn down the house with us in it again you are welcome to stay." Bonnie told me.

"You should probably plan to stay for a bit too Elena. Chances are that she would go after you to get to me, and I don't think she'd let you get away with a few pulled muscles this time. I'm so sorry I dragged you guys into this, I just didn't know what to do." I apologized.

They gracefully told me that they understood and Bonnie went upstairs to get whatever it was she needed to decipher what was in the glass.

"We were just going to make some lunch," Elena told me. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," I replied.

I hadn't eaten anything since the previous day, and then it was only a small glass of spiked blood. I followed her into the familiar kitchen and we set about making some sandwiches and a fruit salad. Bonnie came down with what looked like a chemistry set, a box of gloves, and a few small bags that contained what appeared to be various herbs. I watched as she put on the gloves, placed the glass on the floor and started working on it. It didn't take her long, by the time we had finished preparing lunch she was walking into the kitchen with a concerned look on her face.

"Well, what's the verdict?" I asked her. "Is it just another mix of vervain and witch hazel?"

"No, it's definitely not that," Bonnie answered. "You're sure this is what she made you drink?"

"Yeah," I told her. "Technically she didn't make me drink it, but she has an uncanny knack for knowing exactly what I will and will not take at different times. I sniffed it but all I could smell was blood."

"Let's just say that it's a damn good thing that you aren't human." Bonnie replied. "This cup has traces of hemlock and arsenic in it. If you were human it would have killed you almost immediately."

"So she tried to poison me?" I asked her.

"Chances are that she figured out that it wouldn't kill a vampire before giving it to you. I doubt she'd risk her life like that."

"Guaranteed that was the case," I told her. "But what about the dreams, how did she get those into my head?"

"That I don't know," Bonnie told me. "I mean it could cause hallucinations, but nothing like what you described."

"So why am I dreaming these things?"

"Is it possible that they are just coming naturally?" Elena asked.

"I don't think so; they are so violent and terrifying. I wake up every day short of breath, sweating and unable to get those images out of my mind."

"Norrah, I have a theory about the nightmares," Bonnie told me, "but I don't think that you are going to like it."

"Well, you've given me fair warning, so tell me. Any explanation would be better than none."

Bonnie looked over at Elena who seemed just as curious as I was, took a deep breath and then explained her theory. "Stories like the ones that you've told us could only be planted in your head by a very powerful witch or vampire. Most of the time when someone tries to get into your head you know it, there is a physical feeling that goes along with it. Even in your tainted state you would have noticed something."

"So you're saying that I came up with all of these nightmares on my own. That's crazy. Why would I ever think those things?"

"Well that's the part that I know you aren't going to like hearing," Bonnie warned me. "You are coming up with them yourself, but not because of any herbs or spells. The reason you keep seeing all of these things, the reason that they always involve Katherine and the people that you love is because somewhere, buried deep inside of your mind, you care about her and wish that you'd had a chance to grow up with her as your mother."


	17. Sixteenth

**Sixteenth.**

I couldn't believe my ears. Bonnie actually thought that I wanted Katherine to be my mother? That was impossible. I had a mother, a wonderful mother. My mother meant the world to me. Katherine was never anything more than a fantasy when I was growing up, and then a hindrance from the time she turned me. How could I possibly care enough about her that I wished she had brought me up as her own? But the more I thought about it the more it made sense. In my dreams I hadn't pictured Ellanore as my mother, it was always Katherine. Even when she was evil she still played the part.

"Oh my God, I think she's right." I didn't realize I said this out loud until Elena questioned me.

"So all of your nightmares were your mind trying to tell you that you actually care for Katherine? That you accept her as your mother?"

"I guess so," I replied. "It's the only thing that makes sense. I have never felt that way when I've been with her, normally I am terrified. I remember when I first found out that Ellanore wasn't my birth mother I would lie in bed at night and think about Katherine, but back then I thought she had died right after I was born."

Elena's cell phone beeped that she had a voicemail which was odd since the phone hadn't rung. She listened to the message as we all ate our lunch. When the message was complete the stared down at the phone looking somewhat confused. She stood up from the table and walked to the front door, opened it, picked something off the ground and then closed it and returned to the kitchen. Both Bonnie and I watched her as she sat back down.

"Everything alright?" Bonnie asked her.

"I think so," Elena said as she looked over at me. "That was Katherine." I felt every muscle in my body tense. "She said that she wanted us to go up to my family's lake house to get away from Mystic Falls and the Originals for a while. Then she said that she had left something on the front porch and not to worry, she wasn't waiting out there to grab anyone. She thinks that you're safe with us and she wanted me to give you this." She handed me an envelope labeled "Norrah 'Anelia'."

I opened the envelope and found my ring and chain. I put it down on the table and pulled out the small scrap of paper inside and read it. 'You need to get out of this town and fast. Klaus is coming back with his pack of hybrids and Stefan and Damon are back at the boarding house. Go with Elena and Bonnie, and what the hell, Caroline too if you must, and get up to the lake. Here is your ring. If it really does allow you to see that bitchy little ghost then you'll need it so she can warn you of any oncoming danger. Don't try to find me, I'll return when it's safe. ~KP'

"I can't believe that she gave you back the ring," Elena exclaimed. "There must be a catch."

"No, she is trying to keep me safe," I told them. "Lexi can sense when danger is coming long before I can so she wants me to have it to protect us. Klaus is back with his hybrids and Damon and Stefan are back. We have to call Caroline and get out of here fast. We can't let any of them know where we are going."

"Okay, well I'll have to go home and get my stuff and the keys to the house." Elena said as Bonnie called Caroline. "What are you going to do about your things Norrah?"

"I guess I'll just have to grab some stuff along the way."

"Okay Caroline said she can be here in about thirty minutes so let's go over and get Elena's things." Bonnie said. "Norrah why don't you stay here in case Caroline surprises us all and gets here early."

With that they grabbed their purses and keys and headed out the door. I watched from a window as they drove off worried that this was just another one of Katherine's tricks, but they made it down the street and rounded the corner before I lost sight of them.

I rushed back into the kitchen to retrieve my necklace. I had to talk to Lexi, get her opinion on what's been going on and to be sure that Katherine wasn't leading us all into a trap. I clasped the chain around my neck and waited but she didn't appear. I called out for her and again nothing. Perfect, when I really needed her she wasn't there. "Damnit Lexi!" I said out loud right before I felt a hard shove from behind sending me careening into the kitchen island.

I felt at least two ribs crack as I made impact with the marble countertop and swung around to see who had done that, but there was no one there. I grabbed at my right side, the pain wasn't that bad, but it was making breathing significantly more difficult. I looked up and concentrated and felt the fragments of bone come back together.

Still suspicious that there was someone in the house with me I cautiously walked room to room but never found anyone. I sat down on the couch as the last of the pain dissipated. I leaned my head back on the couch cushion and felt a hand on my forehead forcing my head back and two fine pinpricks on my neck. I looked back and forth but saw no one. I felt the familiar sucking motion of a feeding vampire but I wasn't getting lightheaded or feeling weak in any way. Eventually it stopped, my head was released and I jumped up from the couch.

I heard laughing before I saw her sitting there. "You should have seen your face," Lexi teased as she giggled. "Who did you think was doing those things, some invisible witch/vamp hybrid?"

I put my hand up to my neck and realized there was no wound. "What is wrong with you? How were you able to bite me, and why couldn't I see you?" I was getting angry now and she just smiled. "You know that you broke my ribs back there," I said raising my voice and pointing at the kitchen.

"For crying out loud Norrah it's not like I did any permanent damage, lighten up. The bite was just an illusion; you know I can't actually feed anymore."

"Lex do you know what I've been through for the last few days? It's been hell." I told her still annoyed.

"Of course I know, I was there screaming at you every time that psychotic bitch gave you that poison, but what could I do? You couldn't see me." She responded before abruptly changing the subject. "So I hear we are heading up to the lake, Girls Weekend!"

"Not quite," I corrected her, "more like saving all of our asses from the Originals and Damon for a few days."

"Oh whatever, it'll be fun," she said raising one eyebrow and smiling. "I have a few things to do before we get this party started so I'll meet you up there, okay? Bye!"

She disappeared again. I scowled after her; she still hadn't answered my question about how she was able to be invisible when I had my ring on. She's a ghost, what could she possibly need to get ready?

Caroline came barreling in with enough luggage to last her three weeks or more. "Well, I'm here, where is everybody?"


	18. Seventeenth

**Seventeenth.**

The drive was uneventful. It was late autumn so most of the leaves had fallen and the further we went the colder the air temperature became. The girls kept up a conversation but I didn't join in. All that I could think about at that moment was Katherine and Ellanore, my father and my life in England. Bulgaria was fading from my memory day by day but I wouldn't allow my father's memory to fade, I'd already lost him once. I was so lost in thought that I didn't even realize we had reached the lake.

"Hey, Earth to Norrah. Are you planning on coming in or just camping out in the car?" Caroline asked me bringing me back to reality.

The house was really spectacular. It was a log cabin design which I knew all too well, but it was far larger than any I'd been in before. The inside was beautifully and simply furnished with plenty of space so that the four of us wouldn't be tripping over one another. Out the back sliding doors I could see the half frozen lake with wooden docks, a few brave boaters and a small patch of grass. It all seemed so peaceful, so serene, so unlike Mystic Falls. I felt instantly relaxed.

"So there are only three bedrooms but they all have queen sized beds so we can easily share," Elena informed us. "I'd probably be more comfortable if we didn't use my parent's room, so we can bunk two-by-two if that's alright with everyone."

We all nodded in agreement. We decided that Bonnie and Caroline would take Jeremy's room and Elena and I would stay in hers. That worked out fine for me especially since Lexi was bound to make an appearance at some point; knowing her that would probably be in the middle of the night.

The girls put their things in their respective rooms and then we drove into town to try to find some descent clothes for me. We walked through a few of the shops on the main drag, most sold clothes that advertised the town or the lake. Finally we happened upon a cute little boutique. It turned out to be exactly what we'd been looking for. I was able to purchase an entire wardrobe and each of the others found at least one or two things they liked as well. Then we drove over to the local pharmacy and picked up all the necessary toiletries plus a pay-as-you-go phone for me since Katherine still had mine.

We stopped briefly at the grocer and bought some food for the next few days and then returned to the house. It was dark by the time we got back and the house looked even more stunning with its exterior lights on. We all dropped off our purchases and helped to bring in the groceries. Bonnie and Elena started preparing a stew for dinner while Caroline and I went out on a quick hunt.

When we returned dinner was almost ready and smelled amazing. We went out to the garage and grabbed some wood to build a fire in the hearth, each served ourselves a hefty portion of stew and grabbed some bread and then hunkered down in the living room to eat.

Once we were done the fire was warming the room. We found a few cuddly fleece blankets and squished together on the two small sofas. The girls started telling me all about their "boy dramas" over the past few years. I heard about Jeremy from Bonnie, Tyler, Matt and Klaus from Caroline, and Stefan, Damon and Matt from Elena. Each story ended with a collective sigh and occasionally a giggle. I told them that Matt sounded an awful lot like Thomas. I told them how caring and compassionate he had been and how in love we were before Katherine's compulsion wore off when I was turned.

"You'd like Matt," Elena told me, "he's a lot like that too. I'm surprised you've never met, he works at The Grille. I'll introduce you the next time we're there."

We laughed and talked some more about our lives. They told me about some of the crazy things that they all did together when they were younger. I told them about many of the things that Lexi and I had done. Then they started to fill Caroline in on what had happened that morning which had led to us ending up at the lake. Caroline looked at me strangely as they told her about the attack, Katherine poisoning me, the nightmares, and finally Bonnie's theory about my dreams. Clearly she was not impressed and I figured that soon enough I would hear all about it.

For now however we were all getting tired. After a few more minutes in front of the fire everyone was yawning. Elena and Caroline offered to put it out and Bonnie and I cleaned up the kitchen. There were two full bathrooms in the house, one on each floor so we didn't have a problem getting ready for bed. Once we had all said goodnight and were tucked into our beds Elena told me that she had some questions that she didn't want to ask in front of the others.

"So what did Lexi have to say today?" She asked me.

"Well after she broke a few of my ribs and then tried to bite my neck she rambled on about how this would be a lot of fun; like a girls weekend," I told her. "Then she said she had a few things to do and would meet us up here, but I haven't seen her yet."

"Do you think she's going after Damon or Katherine?" Elena asked in a hushed voice.

"I doubt it," I replied. "No one else can see, hear or feel her, and she can only interact with things that belong to me, that I am using, or that I give to her to use for something. I have no idea what she has up her sleeve, which by the way is never a good thing."

"Yeah, I've come to learn that," she chuckled.

"So what do you think about all of this Katherine stuff?" she asked. "Do you think that Bonnie might be right?"

"The frightening thing is that I believe that she is right. I've spent so much of my life thinking about Katherine, wondering who she was and why she did what she did to me. When I met her I was terrified of her. I know that not everything she told me is true, but I do believe that she is looking out for me."

"Well she has a really twisted way of showing it," Elena responded.

"That she does, but I do have to give her a little credit. Despite the fact that we are both well over five-hundred years old, Katherine is essentially still a teenager. She never was prepared to be a mother, and after all this time she has no idea how best to deal with this situation. I think it is just a natural instinct to watch out for me." I tried to explain.

"Yeah, well there's that and the fact that if you get killed she dies too," Elena pointed out.

"True, but as far as we know she's the only one capable of that with the possible exception of the Originals, so getting me out of Mystic Falls wasn't really a selfish move on her part." I theorized watching for Elena's reaction.

"So you really do think she cares for you?" I nodded. "Do you have those same feelings for her?"

"It's hard to say, I mean I've always considered Ellanore my mother; she was my mother. Katherine has only just made an appearance, and her 'parenting' techniques aren't exactly gentle. I think at this point I would have to say that I want to care for her, but it's going to take some time." I explained.

"Fair enough," Elena said, yawning. "I still have mixed feelings about Isobel too, although she came right out and told me she didn't care for me, but she was a vampire at the time so who knows." She slid down under the covers and out her head down on the pillow. "Let me know if Lexi comes back," she said as her eyes closed, "I never really had a chance to thank her for helping me with Stefan and I think I owe her that."

With that Elena went silent and moments later she was breathing the rhythmic way that one does when asleep. I laid my head down as well and for the first time in almost a week fell into a peaceful, natural sleep.


	19. Eighteenth

**Eighteenth.**

It was near dawn when I was woken by someone shaking my arm. I had been right in the middle of the most pleasant dream where all of my family and friends were alive and well. There were no such things as vampires, werewolves, witches and doppelgangers. My Maddie was still a little girl, Ellanore and Katherine were the best of friends. Lexi was alive and head over heels in love with my little girl, and Thomas and I were genuinely in love. I was very irritated to be torn away from that. I tried to roll over but felt her cold hands pulling me up and out of the bed. I rubbed my eyes and frowned at her.

"Lexi, please, this is the best dream that I've had in a long time," I told her. "Just let me sleep for a few more hours, it's not even dawn yet." I whined looking over at the window.

"I have something very important to tell you and a few things to give you," she told me with a smile on her face. "Come downstairs with me so you don't wake up the whole house."

It was useless to try to argue with her, and she was right, I would end up waking Elena and probably the others as well while I sat there seemingly arguing with myself. I groaned, pulled on a pair of socks and followed her down the stairs.

Once we got to the kitchen Lexi pulled out a bag and she handed me my cell phone, my laptop, my journal and my e-reader. I was shocked that she had been able to get all of that out of the house.

"Katherine isn't there anymore, remember?" she reminded me. It was easy, I had seen where she'd put them so I just grabbed them and left."

"Wow Lex, thanks, but is this really what was so important that you had to wake me?" I asked her hoping that she had a better excuse.

"No," she said to my relief, "That was not why I woke you. Grab a coat and a blanket and come outside with me."

"It's freezing out there, why can't we just talk in here." I looked out through the sliders to see the sun just starting to rise and light shimmering on the water.

"Trust me, you're probably going to want some time alone after we talk, and the girls are already stirring."

"Fine," I sighed as I stepped into someone's warm boots, grabbed my new coat and one of the blankets from the previous night.

I opened the slider and stepped out into the frigid air and then closed it as quietly as I could. Lexi walked past the lawn furniture and out onto one of the docks where she sat down on the frozen wood facing me. I reluctantly sat down on part of the blanket wrapping the rest around my body.

She sat there smiling at me for a minute, trying to build up the drama of whatever she wanted to tell me. "Well?" I asked her impatiently.

"Okay, so I've done some more searching around for any trace of Maddie and I got a lead." She paused and waited for me to react.

"Does someone know where she is, have they seen her?" I asked quickly. "Did you follow-up on it Lex? Did you find her?"

"Whoa, slow down," she told me not wanting me to get hysterical. "First of all I haven't found her yet, and I'm sorry. Obviously she got the Petrova gene that renders her elusive. No one has seen her."

"What kind of a lead is that, all you did was tell me the same thing you said the last time," I told her, my voice getting higher and louder with each syllable."

"Norrah, come back to me for a second please," She said waving her hands around in front of my face. "I told you that I found a lead, and they gave me something to give to you."

She reached into the interior pocket of her jacket and pulled out a crude envelope that looked like something we had used centuries ago.

"Who is it from?" I asked her.

She stood up in front of me. "You'll just have to open it and find out," she said as she bent down and kissed my cheek then sauntered away back towards the house.

I held the envelope in my hand and turned it over only to find my name printed in a lovely gold ink. I slowly peeled back the folds and pulled out a letter that was at least three pages thick. When I opened the paper I was shocked. The entire thing was written in Bulgarian. How did she find someone who knew me in Bulgaria and how would they know about Maddie, she was born in England almost a decade after we left Bulgaria. I was nervous for a moment that I might not remember how to read it, but the words were as familiar to me as English. When I looked at the greeting I was shocked, so surprised in fact that I almost dropped the papers into the lake.

"To my dearest Katherine Ella-Norrah Christova, my precious little bunny," it read. There was only one person who could have written this, the one person who had called me that as a child. This letter was from my father…


	20. Nineteenth

**Eighteenth.**

It was near dawn when I was woken by someone shaking my arm. I had been right in the middle of the most pleasant dream where all of my family and friends were alive and well. There were no such things as vampires, werewolves, witches and doppelgangers. My Maddie was still a little girl, Ellanore and Katherine were the best of friends. Lexi was alive and head over heels in love with my little girl, and Thomas and I were genuinely in love. I was very irritated to be torn away from that. I tried to roll over but felt her cold hands pulling me up and out of the bed. I rubbed my eyes and frowned at her.

"Lexi, please, this is the best dream that I've had in a long time," I told her. "Just let me sleep for a few more hours, it's not even dawn yet." I whined looking over at the window.

"I have something very important to tell you and a few things to give you," she told me with a smile on her face. "Come downstairs with me so you don't wake up the whole house."

It was useless to try to argue with her, and she was right, I would end up waking Elena and probably the others as well while I sat there seemingly arguing with myself. I groaned, pulled on a pair of socks and followed her down the stairs.

Once we got to the kitchen Lexi pulled out a bag and she handed me my cell phone, my laptop, my journal and my e-reader. I was shocked that she had been able to get all of that out of the house.

"Katherine isn't there anymore, remember?" she reminded me. It was easy, I had seen where she'd put them so I just grabbed them and left."

"Wow Lex, thanks, but is this really what was so important that you had to wake me?" I asked her hoping that she had a better excuse.

"No," she said to my relief, "That was not why I woke you. Grab a coat and a blanket and come outside with me."

"It's freezing out there, why can't we just talk in here." I looked out through the sliders to see the sun just starting to rise and light shimmering on the water.

"Trust me, you're probably going to want some time alone after we talk, and the girls are already stirring."

"Fine," I sighed as I stepped into someone's warm boots, grabbed my new coat and one of the blankets from the previous night.

I opened the slider and stepped out into the frigid air and then closed it as quietly as I could. Lexi walked past the lawn furniture and out onto one of the docks where she sat down on the frozen wood facing me. I reluctantly sat down on part of the blanket wrapping the rest around my body.

She sat there smiling at me for a minute, trying to build up the drama of whatever she wanted to tell me. "Well?" I asked her impatiently.

"Okay, so I've done some more searching around for any trace of Maddie and I got a lead." She paused and waited for me to react.

"Does someone know where she is, have they seen her?" I asked quickly. "Did you follow-up on it Lex? Did you find her?"

"Whoa, slow down," she told me not wanting me to get hysterical. "First of all I haven't found her yet, and I'm sorry. Obviously she got the Petrova gene that renders her elusive. No one has seen her."

"What kind of a lead is that, all you did was tell me the same thing you said the last time," I told her, my voice getting higher and louder with each syllable."

"Norrah, come back to me for a second please," She said waving her hands around in front of my face. "I told you that I found a lead, and they gave me something to give to you."

She reached into the interior pocket of her jacket and pulled out a crude envelope that looked like something we had used centuries ago.

"Who is it from?" I asked her.

She stood up in front of me. "You'll just have to open it and find out," she said as she bent down and kissed my cheek then sauntered away back towards the house.

I held the envelope in my hand and turned it over only to find my name printed in a lovely gold ink. I slowly peeled back the folds and pulled out a letter that was at least three pages thick. When I opened the paper I was shocked. The entire thing was written in Bulgarian. How did she find someone who knew me in Bulgaria and how would they know about Maddie, she was born in England almost a decade after we left Bulgaria. I was nervous for a moment that I might not remember how to read it, but the words were as familiar to me as English. When I looked at the greeting I was shocked, so surprised in fact that I almost dropped the papers into the lake.

"To my dearest Katherine Ella-Norrah Christova, my precious little bunny," it read. There was only one person who could have written this, the one person who had called me that as a child. This letter was from my father…** Nineteenth.**

I couldn't believe my eyes. My father whom I had last spoken with on my eighth birthday, the day that he was killed, had managed to get a letter to me. I looked around but Lexi was gone. I was desperate to know how she had gotten this. That didn't matter now; my eyes were glued to the pages as I read.

He told me that he missed me and that he was sorry he had never made it home to celebrate my birthday. He told me not to worry; death didn't hurt, though I knew that wasn't the case given the state of his body and Katherine's desperate need for revenge. It went on to say that my mother and he were together and happier than ever before. They were living in eternal glory where everything is magical and perfect. There was no disease, no pain and everyone loved one another.

I was so relieved to hear that they had found one another for I knew just how badly my mother had missed my father after he was gone. The more I read the happier I felt for them until I came to the part I'd been dreading. He told me that he and my mother had been waiting a long time for me and for my precious little girl Madison to come to them. Time was different where they were so he wasn't sure of how much of it had passed. He said they would wait an eternity for us. It saddened him to know that Madison had passed and they had yet to find her, but my mother never stopped searching and he promised they would be with her soon.

I was able to figure out that Lexi had not told them why I was still alive, and for that I was very grateful. Tears slipped from my eyes leaving frozen trails on my cheeks. The letter ended with my father telling me how proud he was of me and that my mother was missing me terribly. My heart ached for them and I wished that I could jump into the freezing water in front of me and stay beneath the surface long enough to join them. Father signed off with his name, Branimir, and written just beneath it, "The proudest and luckiest father in all the world and above."

I read the letter over twice more before returning it to its envelope and placing it safely in my coat pocket. Lexi was right, as usual, I did want to be alone with my thoughts. I sat on the edge of the dock staring out at the cold lake. I wrapped the blanket tighter around me and pulled my knees into my chest. The sun was finally peeking out from behind the trees and it actually felt warm. I must have been sitting there for over an hour just thinking about my parents, how happy they were and how happy I was that they were together. I just couldn't shake the awful feeling of not knowing where my baby girl ended up.

After a time Lexi came back out and sat with me. She took my hand and I wrapped a part of the blanket over her legs even though I knew she didn't need it. We sat in silence watching the water splash up on the rocks and fizzle out on the sandy shore. When she knew that I would be ready to hear it she told me how she had gone through a vast network of people to find my parents. She had forgotten that our family name was originally Christova; we didn't change it until we moved to England.

Once she started asking about the Christova family she was able to locate them fairly quickly. She explained that she had contact with me and asked my father to send me a message. I looked over at her and smiled and then hugged her. Only a true friend would have gone to that much trouble for me and I loved her for it.

"The girls are up you know. Eventually they are going to notice that you aren't in the house," she informed me.

"That's okay," I told her. "I'm not ready to go in and have to face Caroline's disapproving stares just yet. I'd rather sit out here with you for a bit longer."

"Whatever you want," she said to me with a smile and she took my hand in hers again and we leaned in resting our heads on one another.


	21. Twentieth

**Twentieth.**

About fifteen minutes later Elena came down to the dock wrapped in her own blanket. "Hey, what are you doing out here?" she asked me, her voice quivering in the cold air.

"Lexi came by to bring me some things and we didn't want to wake you." I told her as I pulled the blanket back over from Lexi's lap.

"I figured she was here from the funny angle you were sitting at." Elena said. "Is she still here now?" Lexi blew my hair around.

"Yup," I responded as I flattened my hair back down. "Go ahead, talk to her, she can hear you and respond, though if she gets vulgar I am not going to repeat it." I thought for a minute. "Actually, hold on," I pulled out my journal and pen, opened it to a blank page and handed the pen to Lexi."

"If I wasn't used to seeing things like this I'd be really freaked out right now." Elena said watching as Lexi flourished the pen around in the air, obviously showing off.

I stood up. "I'm going to let you two talk while I run in and take a hot shower, I am frozen," I announced as I wrapped my blanket around Elena along with hers. "Just do me a favor Elena and don't let her read anything else that's in there."

"You are absolutely no fun." Lexi said to me.

I pointed my finger at her. "I mean it," I told her, then I turned, smiled at Elena and walked back up to the house. I was determined to get a good shower in and then go out and hunt.

The water was heavenly as it defrosted my frozen limbs. Bonnie and Caroline had started fixing breakfast and I could smell the sausages and eggs through the bathroom door. I tried to make it a short shower, but it felt so good that I'm sure I was in there too long. When I finally came back downstairs all three of the girls were eating, Lexi was sitting on the couch pouting. I had no idea why until realized that Elena was sitting on my journal. I had to laugh.

"Relentless isn't she?" I asked Elena who just nodded and smiled.

"Are you going to come and join us or just sit there and pout all morning?" I asked Lexi while Bonnie and Caroline watched.

"Is Lexi here?" Bonnie asked.

"She sure is," I said, laughing as Lexi walked over to the table, arms crossed and still pouting as she sat down.

"What is she saying?" Caroline asked.

"Nothing you nosey little bitc…" Lexi started to say before I cut her off.

"She's not talking right now, she's a little angry that Elena wouldn't let her read my journal so she's pouting," I answered Caroline. "Are you in the mood for a hunt after we finish here? I found a few empty water bottles so we can stock up."

"Sure, why not," Caroline answered.

"Why do you want to spend time with that nasty little twit," Lexi asked. "Go out on your own, you'll be better off anyway." I ignored her so she took my fork and knife and threw them into the sink.

"So if anyone still doubted she was here, may I introduce Lexi the pouting, brooding vampire ghost?" I said out loud. "Why don't you go find something productive to do and stop damaging Elena's things?" I asked her and she stormed off walking right through the front door.

"Is she gone?" Caroline asked.

"For now, but she'll be back," I told her. "Okay, let's clean this up and get out of here. I'm just going to run upstairs and get the bottles."

I went up the stairs and collected the bottles I had found and put them in the bag Lexi had brought. As I was walking out the door I remembered that I had my phone now and snatched it off of the bed where I put it while I was showering. I had a text message.

I clicked the screen and saw "One New Text Message from Alexia: Don't say that I didn't warn you…" What was she talking about? Oh well, it didn't really matter right now, I hopped back down the stairs, grabbed my coat and hat and Caroline and I headed out the door.


	22. Twenty First

**Twenty****First****.**

We ran to the west thinking that we might have better luck up that way. It took about fifteen minutes before we found a large buck. I apologized to it as I always do before a kill and then snapped its neck. We were easily able to fill all of our bottles, feed and get out of the area before any of the gun-toting hunters saw us. We walked back slowly, talking a little but mostly in silence. We were within a few hundred yards of the house when I felt a jerk on my arm. I whipped around and saw Lexi with her finger up to her mouth. Caroline kept right on walking. I mouthed the word 'What?' to Lexi.

"You can't go back there, there's trouble," she said to me.

"What kind of trouble?" I asked. "Lex, what's going on? If Elena and Bonnie are in trouble I have to go."

"They are, but you can't go back there. She knows you're here and she's looking for you."

"Who knows I'm here? Katherine? She's the one who told me to come here."

"Not Katherine," she exclaimed, "Rebekah!"

"Rebekah is here? At the lake? Lexi I have to get back there. Caroline doesn't know," I was panicking. "Let me go, I have to go warn her and get to Elena and Bonnie."

"No way Nor," She said tightening her grip on my arm. "I love you and I can't wait to wreak havoc with you on the other side, but I don't want you to die; not on my watch."

I tried to shake her off but she was much stronger than she had been as a vampire. I could feel her nails digging into my arm as I dragged her along towards the house.

"You're hurting me Lex," I told her. "She's going to smell my blood if you dig your nails in any deeper. She flew around to the front of me.

"Norrah, I am asking you, begging you, pleading with you not to go," she said as tears rolled down her face.

That stopped me for a minute. Lexi never cried, she wasn't outwardly emotional in that sense. The problem was that she wasn't the one who could get hurt this time, and I had to save my friends. I hugged her hard and as soon as she loosened her grip I took off for the house.

I stopped short when I realized that Elena and Bonnie were safely in the house and although Rebekah didn't like Caroline, she didn't care to waste her energy running after her. She looked over my way as an evil smile spread across her face.

"Well, it looks like Damon took pity on you after all. I was all but sure that you were dead," she said to me.

"It had nothing to do with Damon," I spat back at her. Lexi now standing next to me telling me to back off, but I wasn't listening.

"I see, so you have another all sorts of people looking out for you then. Tell me, who took pity on you and spared you your life?" She asked as she closed the gap between us.

"You wouldn't believe me if I did," I said back to her. She rushed at me her face mere inches from mine as she looked into my eyes.

"There's something strange about you," she told me tilting her head back and forth, "something not quite human."

Elena ran out the door and onto the porch. "Norrah, don't say anything!" she yelled over to me. In a flash Rebekah was on the porch, her fangs bared with Elena in a head lock.

"No!" I cried out trying to run to her but Lexi slowed me down. She didn't want me revealing myself. I got to the porch as Rebekah's fangs were just brushing up on Elena's neck. "Take me, leave Elena alone!" I shouted.

Rebekah lifted her head. "What a predicament," she said. "On the one hand I've been waiting to kill Elena for quite some time now, but if you're offering yourself up, I can wait a bit longer." She threw Elena down on the porch, I tried to get to her but Rebekah had me by the throat.

"Bonnie," I called out.

"There's nothing that little witch can do that's going to help you now." Rebekah said with a sparkle in her eye. I watched Bonnie run out and help Elena up. She held my throat as she backed me up to a little sports car. Once there she picked up a large rock and slammed it into my head. I was dazed but not completely knocked out.

"A quick sip for the road," she said as I felt her teeth brushing up against my broken scalp.

There was nothing quick about it. The girls watched helplessly from the house. Lexi remained by my side trying desperately to keep me awake but the blood loss and the blow to the head were quickly winning the fight. Rebekah opened the small door, leaned the seat forward and threw me into the back of the car.

"Now stay there and don't you dare move or I'll stop the car and kill you sooner than I already plan to," she threatened before slamming the door, walking around the back of the car and letting herself in the driver's seat. "And don't you lot try to follow us or I'll kill her while you watch and then kill you as well. I am feeling a bit peckish today."

She slammed her door and threw the car into reverse. I don't think she had to worry about me moving, there was barely enough room to breathe comfortably I remember thinking 'You've got to be kidding me, I can't believe I've gotten myself into this mess again.' Or perhaps Lexi whispered that in my ear as she sat backwards in the front seat. It hardly mattered because as soon as Rebekah got onto the main road and shifted gears everything went black.


	23. Final

**Final.**

I heard someone calling my name; screaming it actually. "NORRAH, WAKE UP! NORRAH!" It was Lexi, we were still in the car but we had parked and Rebekah had gotten out and walked towards a building.

My vision was fuzzy, I couldn't see anything clearly. My head was throbbing, I put my hand up and felt the dried blood in my hair and the lump that had formed. I started to look skyward but Lexi stopped me.

"Don't you dare!" she warned me. "Do you want her to find out what you really are? Leave it alone."

I groaned, I didn't want her to find out, but it was affecting my ability to think clearly. I looked up at Lexi and quietly asked her where we were.

"Back in Mystic Falls at the boarding house," she answered as she looked over her shoulder.

"Why are we here? What is she going to do to me?" I asked, fear rising in my voice.

"We have a plan, so just sit tight and go along with it. You're going to be fine and we're going to get you out of here but you have to play along, understand?" she asked me.

I started to nod before realizing what a monumentally bad idea that was. "They're coming, just go with it Norrah, please!"

I saw tears in her eyes again; I couldn't stand to see that. 'I will' I silently mouthed to her as I heard the door open and the seat push forward. Rebekah got ahold of my arm and pulled me upright. She shifted me out of the car and then backed me up into someone who bent down and picked me up effortlessly. I tried to see who it was but my vision was still so blurry.

"It's Damon", Lexi told me, "but don't move or react, it's all part of the charade."

I was so thankful to have her there with me. He carried me into the house and down to the parlor where he placed me on the sofa.

"She's a mess," he commented, "what did you do to her?"

"Nothing really, just knocked her out," Rebekah responded.

"With what, an axe?" Damon asked. "Could you have been a little more delicate?"

"Be careful Damon," she warned him, "remember what happened the last time you stood up for her? Now, let's clean her up first before we dine, I rather like the smell of fresh soap and shampoo with my meal."

I started to panic; I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. So that was the plan? Rebekah and Damon feeding on me?

"You need to relax Nor," Lexi said calmly to me. "It's all part of the plan." They could both hear my heart beating wildly.

"Well, it seems our little dinner guest can hear us," I heard Rebekah say. "It's probably better you know anyway; the higher your blood pressure the faster you'll die."

"It's too early for dinner," Damon broke in, "Besides, I have a better idea."

I could see one figure pull the other towards him; hear their lips lock as they kissed. "Why don't we go upstairs and burn off some energy before we eat?" he asked her.

I heard her chuckle. "I hope you aren't trying to spoil our night because if you are then I might just have to kill you too."

"Well let's go upstairs and find out," Damon replied.

"And leave her here to run as soon as we close the door?" she asked him, "I don't think so."

"Fine, then we'll put her in the basement," he responded as he lifted me from the couch.

Was he crazy? Did he forget what happened the last time I was down there? I tried to fight him but was in no shape to take him on.

"How about a pre-dinner drink?" Rebekah asked as she grabbed my wrist and bit down hard.

I moaned in pain and she dropped my arm after a few moments. Tears had started to form in my eyes as Damon opened the door and started descending the stairs.

I heard Lexi's voice in my ear. "It's okay Nor, you have to calm down, please!" I knew there was a reason for her panicked tone and had to guess that Damon's eyes were turning red and fangs were out just smelling the blood in my hair and now dripping from my wrist. He put me down on the dirt floor near the middle of the room, I could feel the burning start, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been the last time.

Damon walked out and was about to close the door when Rebekah pushed in.

"I don't trust that she wouldn't find some way out." She said as she lifted her leg and stamped down hard on each of my legs, effectively breaking them. "There, that will slow you down just a bit now wont it?" she asked with a smile spreading across her face.

I heard the door slam and the large plank placed in its place, locking me in. The tears in my eyes had cleared my vision somewhat and I reached up and rubbed them. I could feel the burning sensation starting to spread as I glanced around the room. That's when I saw them. In the corner behind where the open door would have hung were a small bottle and a note.

My legs were already swollen and turning an unappealing shade of purple, but I could use my arms. I sat myself up slowly touching the gash on my head and examining my legs closer. Using my elbows I slowly inched over towards the bottle. I stopped just before grabbing it and listened. Damon and Rebekah were clearly indisposed and I could safely reach out for the bottle and note. I was surprised to see that the bottle was half full of witch hazel. The note merely said to drink it and the burning would stop, so of course I did.

Once I could breathe easily again Lexi appeared at my side. "Now heal yourself," she told me.

"What, why?" I whispered back. "If I heal then she'll know or she'll suspect Damon. I don't want him getting hurt too."

"Have I mentioned that we have a plan?" she asked me. "Just does it, we're going to get you out of here."

"How?" I asked, stalling for time.

"Katherine Ella-Norrah heal yourself right now!" Lexi yelled at me.

I looked up and concentrated and felt everything starting to come together. It took about five minutes but everything healed and I stood up. I looked over to the other side of the room but the light for the vervain plants was gone as were the fifty pots.

"Where did the vervain go?" I asked Lexi.

"Don't worry about that now…but if I were you I'd avoid the kitchen," she said to me. "Now go over to the door and whisper Stefan's name."

I was still confused but I did as I was told and suddenly Stefan's appeared. He pulled up the plank and unlatched the door. He could see that I was still a bit unstable on my feet so he picked me up gingerly and carried me up the stairs. I was feeling woozy and cloudy again so I rested my head on his shoulder as we walked right out the front door. He told me to hold on tight and ran away from the house and about halfway down the street that connects to the main part of town.

There was another man standing near a truck and I was handed off to him. "Don't worry Norrah, you're in good hands." I rested my head on the man's shoulder and closed my eyes. My vision was spinning and I couldn't focus enough to see anything. My legs had healed but my head was still really sore.

"Take her to Caroline's and get some blood into her," Stefan told the man before running back to the house. The man settled me down in the truck and took off towards Caroline's.

When we got there Caroline greeted us and invited me in. The man who I had decided to refer to as my savior placed me down gently on a bed. He told Caroline to get me some blood, fast. She left the room and he awkwardly sat down on the bed.

"Thank you," I managed to get out, my eyes closed.

"No problem," my savior replied.

I didn't recognize his voice so I had to assume we'd never met. How noble to help someone you've never met before. Caroline came rushing in with the blood, three bags total and jammed a straw into one. My savior left the room while I drank, slowly at first and the ferociously as my strength returned. By the time I had emptied the last bag I felt as good as new. I was still a mess; there was blood in my hair and dirt just about everywhere else.

I asked Caroline if she wouldn't mind me using her shower. She came back with a stack of towels, washcloths and my clothes that I'd left at the lake house.

"We brought all of your stuff back with us," she told me as she got me set up in the bathroom.

"We?" I asked. 

"Yeah, me, Bonnie and Elena," she said.

"Why did you bring them back here?" I asked her nervously.

"I had no other choice," she explained. "We took Elena's truck up there and Bonnie is scary when she gets mad so they had to come. They're over at Bonnie's now; we can call them after you get yourself cleaned up."

"Hey Care, I'm going to get going," my savior called out. I could hear his footsteps coming down the hall closer to us. Caroline stepped out of the bathroom and thanked him for all of his help. He stood just out of sight so I wasn't able to catch a glimpse of him right away. They hugged and then Caroline shifted out of the way. He took a step forward and peeked into the bathroom to say goodbye.

I instantly dropped everything in my hands and stared out at him. I couldn't believe what I saw as I looked into his eyes, at his hair and his smile. It couldn't be; how is this possible?

"Thomas, is that you?"


End file.
